Yes, I'm very inconsistent. I should be working on other stories but I have writer's block for Targeted and I have a bunch of plot ideas on my tablet, this being one of them. I'm finding this one much easier to write anyways so I may be a little more consistent with this one.
Anyways,
I do not own Fairy Tail.
The Trials of a Demon
Chapter 1 – Application of a Demon
oO0*0Oo
A beautiful girl with a shining crown and a gorgeous dress hummed a delightful tune as her stunning heels crossed the magnificent carpet which adorned the striking hallway in a breathtaking castle part of a wonderful country, alone.
oO0*0Oo
Lucy strolled down the corridor, passing several maids which she greeted individually, not missing a single one. After each of the small waves and short hellos, her frail, gloved hands returned to the front of her dress, clasped together in a proper position as her closed-mouth, gentle smile rested in silence, only opening again to greet another.
She felt a tug on her gold locks but she did not feel alarmed or displeased, but instead calm and thankful. "Royalty mustn't go roaming around with a single hair out of place." Ms. Spetto lightly scolded as she tucked a loose strand back into the elegant bun.
"Thank you Ms. Spetto. To think it's been 18 years under your care and I still need your assistance." The blonde giggled, earning a delighted and pleased smile from one of her oldest maids. "I won't be going anywhere, so take as long as you need. I can only hope I will stay of use to you for years to come." The elder responded with a smile unseen by the blonde who had her back turned as the maid proceeded to pullout a circle pin from her own bun, letting a portion of grey fall loose, and securing the younger's.
"There will never be a time when I won't need you, who would accompany me in the castle as mother and father work?" Lucy retorted as she turned to face the maid who had shown a sad smile. "I'm afraid your free time will be cut short. The trials are not far away and soon a man of your choosing will be the one to stand by your side instead of myself and the other staff. Soon, you shall take on the duties of your parents alongside another of whom I'm expecting I get a small say in?"
"I will of course take suggestions and opinions from many, including yourself." Lucy told her, knowing that it would be one of the most difficult decisions in her life and she absolutely needed some extra help for it. She knew one thing only about the opinions of the maids and butlers – they would choose for her and not the country.
"Are you prepared for your meeting with your father?" Ms. Spetto asked concerned.
Lucy nodded hesitantly. With maids like Ms. Spetto, she didn't try as much to force confidence or joy as she knew they could see right through it. However, the maids were unable to do much about the evident false happiness of the princess, though they did all they could from the sidelines with supportive words and small actions. The maid delivered a comforting pat on the back and offered a knowing smile in which the princess openly accepted. With that, she went on her way, continuing down the corridor.
oO0*0Oo
She tried her best to hide the painfully anxious feeling behind a composed smile. She had succeeded of course, it was part of her position as the princess after all, but it didn't prevent the feeling from worsening as she watched her father straighten one of the several towering stacks of papers, stapled in groups of five. Her breath caught as she finally met his eyes that shared the same shade of brown as hers. Her mother sat beside her with a gentle and steady expression but she knew that, along with most of the royal family's expressions, it was fake.
But there was no commoners watching.
It was forced for her and her only. They had yet to say a word about the papers on the coffee table before her but she knew. It had been the talk of the country and beyond the borders as well as what had kept her up for many nights before.
Application Day
"In a few minutes, the last of the applications will arrive. Shall we go over today's task in the meantime?" The king asked his wife and daughter. The two, seemingly identical women except for the queen's more mature features, nodded in sync, leading to a loud throat clearing from the man.
"Lucy, it is application day, the first stage of the trials in which we have our first look at the applications sent in from the different regions. There are far too many to cover in one day, so, as usual, our top advisors have picked out the absolutely unacceptable ones to save time. You are to do the same. Those you see as unfit for the position as king and your husband, you may discard. We shall be assisting you to hurry it up. During the second stage, I will form my top list and you will finalize the decision. Then it is the public announcement which you shall begin preparing for."
She felt the feeling deepen, causing a faint feeling but her body did not sway and her eyes remained determined. There would be no time for slipping into unconsciousness as days fly like seconds in the castle. There was too much to do.
Three heads turned at the sound of a knock and a door creaking open, revealing a servant with the final stack of applications nestled in his arms to his obvious discomfort. The young servant scrambled towards the coffee table, laying down the load next to the others before scurrying out the door as fast as he entered.
"Perfect, so we may begi-"
"King Jude." A voice called boldly. It was disrespectful to interrupt the king while he was speaking so who was it that dared to do so? They had once again, looked towards the previously reopened doorway, now presenting the figure of a different servant, one a bit older than the last. He rushed up to his leader with what Lucy presumed to be another application, in his right hand.
Following a few minutes of incoherent whispers, her father had snatched the stapled package from the boy's hand, scanning the front page, then the next, and the next. It wasn't until he had passed the standard contract for the trials, which transitions into the personal information section that King Jude reacted.
Both women of the Heartfilia family jumped, letting out small gasps as the paper was thrown roughly over and across the table, followed by the palms of his hands. It shook the table, tipping over the queen's cup of tea and the tower of applications, turning some of the clean white into faded yellow.
"How…" He began, spitting the word out as he grit his teeth. "Jude?" Layla asked cautiously, her voice trembling. It was unlikely for her spouse to act out in such a way, she had only seen such occasions a few times but none had occurred in front of Lucy.
"HOW COULD A DEMON ENTER THE TRIALS?!"
.oO0*0Oo.
"NATSU, GET THE HELL OUT OF YOUR DAMNED HOUSE!"
The red haired man known as Igneel, around his late 50s, kicked the door for the millionth time that morning. At one point, he had resulted to chucking lawn decorations from neighbouring cottages. However, the owners were angered enough that he woke them up and had begun throwing household items of their own.
"YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!"
The pinkette peered out of his bedroom window at the front of the cottage, two stories up from his adoptive father. He ducked back in just in time to avoid a rock that collided with the wall. He, in turn, tossed a small stool out his window, landing it near the older man's feet where it crashed and dispersed into a series of flying wood chips and awaiting splinters.
The harsh bickering had gone on for hours, receiving shouts and complaints from the other residents who lived within a short walking distance from him. "I AM NOT GOING TO THAT STUPID PAPER DAY!"
"APPLICATION DAY YOU IMBECILE!"
"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!"
"GET OUT OF THE HOUSE AND WE'LL GO BUY A DICTIONARY ON THE WAY!"
Natsu muttered no words of protest but instead returned to the window, preparing to throw something else. The object, which appeared to be a thick book, landed dangerously close to Igneel's toes, forcing him to jump back a bit to avoid losing his ability to walk properly. Glancing downwards, he could read the title clearly, which he had done before scowling at his son.
"ALREADY HAD ONE."
"THEN USE IT FOR ONCE!"
He sighed in frustration. Not ready to deal with the younger man's stubbornness. "IT AIN'T SO BAD! SHE'S A BEAUTIFUL GIRL!"
"THEN YOU MARRY HER!"
"IT'S JUST AN APPLICATION!"
"I DON'T CARE, YOU'RE NOT TRAPPING ME WITH A BUNCH OF SURFACE SNOBS!"
"I SWEAR I WILL BURN THIS WHOLE ENTIRE HOUSE DOWN!"
"BURN ME WITH IT!"
Subtle hints of his dragon-like nature was evident in Igneel's voice. The loud and low, raspy sound of a dragon's growl mixed with the stern, yet caring voice of an annoyed father rang through Natsu's ears. In turn, he growled back. It was obvious that they were father and son, maybe not by blood, but they were practically the same, save for appearance.
"I just want you to try! It's not like it's certain the royal kingdom will choose you!"
"Then what's the point?!"
"The point is that it could happen!"
"NEVER!"
"YOU'RE HORRIB-"
Something blue and fluffy collided with his face as sharp edges of what felt like nails clung into his head, scratching. He pulled off the clinging object, in other words, his son's most recent projectile household weapon. "Happy?" He asked the cat he recognized in his hands. Happy tilted his head adorably before leaping out of his grasp, lazily resting his feet.
"YOU THREW YOUR CAT AT ME?!"
"I'M OUT OF CHAIRS!"
"HAPPY COULD'VE DIED!"
"LIKE I WOULD MISS!"
Again, he groaned. "I didn't want to have to do this…"
"Do what?!"
"I'M HOLDING HAPPY HOSTAGE UNTIL YOU COME OUT!"
"Like you can contain Happ- WHERE DID YOU GET A CAGE?!"
"I thought this would happen!"
"YOU KNEW I WAS GONNA THROW HIM AT YOU?!"
"YEA! 'CAUSE YOU'RE JUST THAT PREDICATBLY STUPID!"
The window slammed shut. Igneel smirked upon hearing the shuffling and steps within the house, volume escalating slowly. The wooden door fell to the ground, revealing a teenaged pinkette with an extended foot in the air. He looked furious and frustrated.
It was his fault for throwing Happy.
.oO0Oo.
Aaaaaaaand done.
Shorty for the start.
I'll upload the next chapter as soon as possible.
If you are familiar with the Selection series by Kiera Cass, this story will be similar in various ways, however without castes and I will be using different events. The concept of the competition is about the same-ish but everything else, I'm going to, or at least try to, make it different.
That's all for this chapter.
Till next time.
Ja ne!